The cats and I got up close and personal with a Peregrine Falcon yesterday.
I was outside with both kitties just before lunch yesterday. Our neighbor has a couple of large hosta plants and some other viney thing that I have to cut back to clear the sidewalk a few times every summer. There's a lot of mice in the this mass of greenery and the cats spend lots of time watching and hoping to pounce.
The boy was up on the front step with me, while the girl cat was intently staring into the growth. All of a sudden, a large bird swooped in front of me and crashed into the plantings, disappearing into the greenery. Injured bird or what? Before I could investigate the bird flew up and away from us.
Now I got a good glimpse before it disappeared and saw the gray and white bars on the tail. A Peregrine Falcon! No doubt leaving with some lunch in it's talons. They rarely miss their target.
This bird is one of my top ten favorites, tho' I rarely get to see one. The Peregrine is the fastest animal on earth, diving at speeds of over 220 miles an hour. They can spot prey from hundreds of feet in the air, dive to the ground and generally grab what they've gone after. They're so fast the prey never knows they're coming, until they're grasped in talons and rising in the air.
Got up and close with one several years ago at Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN. They capture birds there as they detour around Lake Superior, heading south in the fall. Here's a shot of one being released.
